How many times have you reflected on an event from your past and said, “If I only knew then what I know now”? This is typically followed by the over-used euphemisms “Hindsight is 20/20”, “coulda-woulda-shoulda”, and “Who-da-thunk it”. Like you, I often find myself thinking about some of the things I have experienced and how I would do them differently. This self-critique becomes even more beneficial when I’ve sat around and discussed these episodes with my colleagues over a cup of coffee at the firehouse kitchen table, or a few adult beverages at our favorite pub.
Collectively, we have all come to the same conclusion…In our profession there are no “Do-Over’s” on the fire ground, no immunity idols to erase poor performance and mistakes on incident scenes, and no Mulligan’s when we “shank one” during our decision making process.
Capt. Mulligan's Kitchen provides an invaluable opportunity for us to prevent future mistakes by learning from those of our past. Unlike some notorious fire service blog sites, this is not a forum for finger-pointing, Monday-Morning Quarterbacking, or anonymous "bravery" by internet "firefighters". Rather, this is where experienced firefighters take personal accountability and feel an obligation to share their knowledge, mistakes, experiences and triumphs for the benefit of their brother & sister firefighters.
We hope you enjoy and benefit by the case-studies presented below. Please feel free to use them directly or as a format for your own training needs.
Collectively, we have all come to the same conclusion…In our profession there are no “Do-Over’s” on the fire ground, no immunity idols to erase poor performance and mistakes on incident scenes, and no Mulligan’s when we “shank one” during our decision making process.
Capt. Mulligan's Kitchen provides an invaluable opportunity for us to prevent future mistakes by learning from those of our past. Unlike some notorious fire service blog sites, this is not a forum for finger-pointing, Monday-Morning Quarterbacking, or anonymous "bravery" by internet "firefighters". Rather, this is where experienced firefighters take personal accountability and feel an obligation to share their knowledge, mistakes, experiences and triumphs for the benefit of their brother & sister firefighters.
We hope you enjoy and benefit by the case-studies presented below. Please feel free to use them directly or as a format for your own training needs.
If you have a case study you would like to post, please adhere to the spirit and intent of this section
and email your submission to [email protected].
and email your submission to [email protected].
Know your First Due - Know Your Buildings !
"Code X-Ray..."
Contributed by Captain James "Jimmy" Payne - Baltimore City FD Rescue 1
Baltimore is a city with roughly about 650,000 residents, the city had well over as million residents at one time. The city has various types of neighborhoods and commercial areas. Just as with any urban city, Baltimore has rows upon rows of two and three story dwellings. The U.S. Census Bureau lists the city as having over 47,000 vacant buildings. The City Department of Housing and Community Development states that there are only 16,000 with 4,500 being owned by the City. As many know Baltimore has been known for its rich history of fire service. At any given time smoke can be seen in the horizon from a raging dwelling fire.
Recently the Baltimore City Fire Department implemented a program called “CODE X-RAY”. This program consists of marking vacant dwellings with a large red square with a reflective “X” inside the marking. This marking is intended to assist the fire service in identifying buildings that are vacant and unstable. As you drive through Baltimore you will find row after row of vacant dwellings with many of “CODE X-RAY” markings in sight. One interesting note is that as to date the Baltimore City Fire Department does not have an accurate number of dwellings that have been marked.
Engine 8, Engine 14, Engine 55, Engine 23, Engine 13, Truck 10, Truck 23, Rescue 1, Battalion Chief 3, Battalion Chief 6 respond to “The 1300 block of West Lafayette Ave. reports of fire with people trapped”.
As the first due company you lead off from a hydrant in the same block as the reported fire and secure a water source. You position your apparatus and can view only the “alpha” side due to the fact that it is a middle of the group dwelling. You give a size up as “Engine 8 on the scene with a three story dwelling, fire showing from the second and third floor, engine 8 will have command” and notify all units this is a “CODE X-RAY”. Upon performing additional size up duties (don’t confuse size up duties with the initial radio report) and with Truck Company 10 close behind preparing to ventilate you receive several reports from citizens on the street that they are missing their “Boo” “ She must be inside”…
As a firefighter we are constantly taught “risk a lot to save a lot, and risk nothing to save nothing”.
When do we decide when to risk a lot or risk nothing? As a seasoned Firefighter what’s your next move?
Do we follow the procedure of “CODE X-RAY” and not enter the dwelling due to the known safety issues?... or...Do we go to our tool box containing education and experience and begin the split second decision making process…?
What are your thoughts?
Use the pictures provided. Remember nothing is ever what it seems…
There are many acronyms that are used within the fire service to assist with this process; we will discuss many of the methods next month…
As always FTM-PTB
JIM,
B.C.F.D., RESCUE 1
Recently the Baltimore City Fire Department implemented a program called “CODE X-RAY”. This program consists of marking vacant dwellings with a large red square with a reflective “X” inside the marking. This marking is intended to assist the fire service in identifying buildings that are vacant and unstable. As you drive through Baltimore you will find row after row of vacant dwellings with many of “CODE X-RAY” markings in sight. One interesting note is that as to date the Baltimore City Fire Department does not have an accurate number of dwellings that have been marked.
Engine 8, Engine 14, Engine 55, Engine 23, Engine 13, Truck 10, Truck 23, Rescue 1, Battalion Chief 3, Battalion Chief 6 respond to “The 1300 block of West Lafayette Ave. reports of fire with people trapped”.
As the first due company you lead off from a hydrant in the same block as the reported fire and secure a water source. You position your apparatus and can view only the “alpha” side due to the fact that it is a middle of the group dwelling. You give a size up as “Engine 8 on the scene with a three story dwelling, fire showing from the second and third floor, engine 8 will have command” and notify all units this is a “CODE X-RAY”. Upon performing additional size up duties (don’t confuse size up duties with the initial radio report) and with Truck Company 10 close behind preparing to ventilate you receive several reports from citizens on the street that they are missing their “Boo” “ She must be inside”…
As a firefighter we are constantly taught “risk a lot to save a lot, and risk nothing to save nothing”.
When do we decide when to risk a lot or risk nothing? As a seasoned Firefighter what’s your next move?
Do we follow the procedure of “CODE X-RAY” and not enter the dwelling due to the known safety issues?... or...Do we go to our tool box containing education and experience and begin the split second decision making process…?
What are your thoughts?
Use the pictures provided. Remember nothing is ever what it seems…
There are many acronyms that are used within the fire service to assist with this process; we will discuss many of the methods next month…
As always FTM-PTB
JIM,
B.C.F.D., RESCUE 1
"Tell Me Why..."
Contributed by Lt. Trevor Steedman - Ocean City (MD) FD
Commercial Building Fire
Structure: 1-Story Masonry Mercantile w/wood box-truss roof - Heavy commercial-grade HVAC units were prevalent on the rooftop. No natural vertical ventilation points were present and natural horizontal ventilation points were limited.
Exposure A - Street. Exposure B - parking lot. Exposure C - Parking lot. Exposure D1 - Woodworking Shop, Exposure D2-Newspaper Distribution/Storage, Exposure D3-Restaurant (Unoccupied), Exposure D4- Street
Occupancy: Air-brush custom paint shop – Custom fabrications
Arrival Conditions: Heavy volume of black smoke pushing under pressure from entrance door in the middle of the group - Side C (3). Sole occupant (owner) meets Engine Co. on arrival and advises that he was working with an acetylene torch when fire occurred and that he was the only one inside at the time of the fire
Initial Attack: 3-Man crew deployed 2- ½ “ Hand Line through the only entrance to the occupancy on fire.
Progress: No horizontal ventilation points – Vertical Ventilation not in progress. Interior crew is advancing on seat of the fire when...A rack of burning tires collapses on top of one of the firefighters. Tread rubber had melted away from tire exposing the steel belts. The firefighter was able to free himself from underneath the storage rack, but is now entangled in a giant Slinky™
A MAYDAY was never called. Other crew members were unaware of situation
Progress on the fire was hampered due to stockpiles of various equipment, tools, spare parts, vehicle gasoline tanks, oxygen/acetylene cylinders, and full storage racks.
What was the purpose for making entry to this building?
What was the crew’s objective?
Would a similar building in a different setting be handled the same way or differently?
Discuss these points - and then...read the rest of the story...
The rest of the story...coming soon!
Exposure A - Street. Exposure B - parking lot. Exposure C - Parking lot. Exposure D1 - Woodworking Shop, Exposure D2-Newspaper Distribution/Storage, Exposure D3-Restaurant (Unoccupied), Exposure D4- Street
Occupancy: Air-brush custom paint shop – Custom fabrications
Arrival Conditions: Heavy volume of black smoke pushing under pressure from entrance door in the middle of the group - Side C (3). Sole occupant (owner) meets Engine Co. on arrival and advises that he was working with an acetylene torch when fire occurred and that he was the only one inside at the time of the fire
Initial Attack: 3-Man crew deployed 2- ½ “ Hand Line through the only entrance to the occupancy on fire.
Progress: No horizontal ventilation points – Vertical Ventilation not in progress. Interior crew is advancing on seat of the fire when...A rack of burning tires collapses on top of one of the firefighters. Tread rubber had melted away from tire exposing the steel belts. The firefighter was able to free himself from underneath the storage rack, but is now entangled in a giant Slinky™
A MAYDAY was never called. Other crew members were unaware of situation
Progress on the fire was hampered due to stockpiles of various equipment, tools, spare parts, vehicle gasoline tanks, oxygen/acetylene cylinders, and full storage racks.
What was the purpose for making entry to this building?
What was the crew’s objective?
Would a similar building in a different setting be handled the same way or differently?
Discuss these points - and then...read the rest of the story...
The rest of the story...coming soon!
Know your Buildings - Fire Escapes
Contributed by Captain Ben Waples Salisbury (MD) Fire Department
We are all taught in our basic firefighter classes that we, the fire service, should never use them for a variety of reasons. Reason such as they are old, not properly cared for, not used and can fail, and may potentially fall off of the building for the previously listed reasons. There are two main types of fire escapes, one type is designed to move occupants from the occupancy that is on fire laterally to an occupancy on the other side of a firewall to another protected occupancy. These fire escapes are not designed to move the occupants up and down, but to the left or right of the fire apartment. These types of fire escapes are the original type and not as common anymore. The new, and more common, type of fire escapes are platforms attached the exterior of the building and have a railing around it, with a narrow steep ladder moving from one floor to the next. The lowest platform will have a moveable ladder that is held in the up position by a counter weight. This weight can be moved by using a hook to pull it down, or the occupants using it to come down. When first arriving to a structure fire with people on the fire escapes they deserve our immediate attention and should be assisted off the fire escapes. Additionally, ground ladders can also be used to assist people off the fire escape.
If you have fire escapes in your first due, get out there and check them out. See what condition they are in and become familiar with their use. Below is a standard fire escape found on W. Main St. in Salisbury, MD.
If you have fire escapes in your first due, get out there and check them out. See what condition they are in and become familiar with their use. Below is a standard fire escape found on W. Main St. in Salisbury, MD.
This information came in part from Retired Deputy Chief Vincent Dunn's book: Building Construction: The Firefighter's Battlespace